October brought a welcome relief from the two-and-a-half months of torrential rains. On the second, we got a drenching of 3.6 inches. Winds had been blowing steadily from the west for months. The next day was calm and it rained less than half an inch. On the 4th the winds shifted around to the east, the sun came out, and the humidity dropped. Nine rainless days followed. It rained a couple of times a week for the remainder of the month, bringing the total to 10.1 inches.
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| Agapanthus orientalis |
The plants have recovered nicely from waterlogged conditions, and the agapanthus lining our driveway have put on a spectacular show.
October is usually the rainiest month of the year. What happened? According to a friend, the change is due to the Madden-Julian oscilation (MJO), an eastward-traveling tropical weather pattern causing rain anomalies, lasting 30-90 days, meaning we could be due for some more heavy rains in November or December. For more information on the MJO, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madden-Julian_oscillation.
On October 31 the winds shifted around to the west again, the humidity increased, and it began to rain.
Happy gardening!
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